Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to systems for safely landing a rocket or a rocket booster for reuse, for example, after the rocket booster has been used to launch a payload into outer space.
Description of the Related Art
Since the dawn of the space age and the launching of Sputnik into outer space, various rockets have been used to launch cargo, animals, and humans into outer space. After carrying their payload to the edge of or into outer space, the rockets or rocket boosters have fallen back to earth only to crash into the ground or the ocean and as a result are destroyed. In recent years, some have attempted to bring rocket boosters back safely from their mission so they can be reused. Some believe that reusable rockets or rocket boosters could reduce the costs associated with launching objects into outer space significantly. Example rocket landing techniques are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,321, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.